Expansible fastener device



Dec. 20, 1966 BURNlSKl 3,292,225

EXPANSIBLE FASTENER DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1963 ww, M fmwz FIG 8 United States Patent 3,292,225 EXPANSIBLE FASTENER DEVICE Anthony J. Burniski, Warson Woods, Mo., assignor to Prince Gardner Company, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 305,926 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-217) The present invention relates generally to fastener means and more particularly to fastener means employed on leather goods products and the like..

Specifically, the present invention is an improvement on the fastener means disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 3,029,854 issued April 17, 1962.

The structure disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 3,029,854 constitutes a decided improvement over prior fastening means for increasing or decreasing the capacity of a closure wall such as the wall in a billfold, card case or similar device. The present invention is an improvement over the structure of Patent No. 3,029,854, and results in an expansible pass case and billfold having a flatter, smoother and less bulky appearance.

The present structure is less costly of manufacture and has longer wear life.

Another advantage of the present invention is that it is easier for the user to lock the closure, since the snap members may be interengaged at any point along an elongated track.

One of the principal objects of the present invention therefore is to provide a simple effective snap fastening structure for an expansible closure wall.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy, inexpensive, self-adjusting, expansible closure for a pass case, billfold and the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a male and female snap fastener arrangement wherein the male member is slidable in an elongated track housing a resilient bearing and retaining means to provide an expansible closure device.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention comprises an expansible closure device for two adjacent panels wherein a male and female snap member are fastened to the panels and the male member is slidably received and retained in an elongated track formed in the female snap member.

In the drawings, wherein like numbers refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a face view of the inside of a billfold and card case constructed according to the present invention, the card case being shown closed in solid outline and open in dotted outline,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the billfold portion having the card case, the view being taken along line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 showing the card case expanded,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary broken plan view of a wall panel having the adjustable snap fastener members mounted thereon,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4,

able outer wall comprised of two overlapping closure panels 12 and 13. The panel 13 is the inner closure panel and has a female fastener member 14 mounted thereon. The panel 12 is the outer closure panel and folds over the inner closure panel 13 and carries a male fastener member 15.

The male closure member '15 (FIGS. 5 and 8) comprises an elongated flat base member 16 which is secured in a wrapped-around flap portion 17 of the outer closure member 12 and includes a male snap member formed with an enlarged head 18 and a reduced neck 19 adjacent to the head 18. The neck 19 is provided with a plurality of grooves 20, and is fastened to the base member 16.

The female fastener member 14 is mounted in an elongated slot 21 formed in the inner flap member 13, and comprises flange members 22 crimped around the inner edges of the slot 21 and a housing 23 having an elongated slot 24 in the outer wall thereof co-extensive with the slot 21 in the closure member 13. The housing 23 rests on the outer surface of the closure member 13 and traps a resilient .plastic track member 25 having an elongated slot 26 co-extensive with the slots 24 and 21 in the housing 23 and the flap member 13 respectively. The resilient member 25 preferably is a nylon insert and e tends a short distance inwardly of the slot 24 in the housing 23.

To fasten the flap members 12 and 13, the male member 15 is forced into the slots 24, 26 and 21 so that the head portion 18 distends the lips of the track member 25 in passing through and the necked-down portion 19 rides in the slot 26 of the track member 25. This is shown in FIG. 8.

The male fastener head 18 is retained by the track 25 to hold the flaps 12 and 13 together, and moves along the slot 26 of the track 25, when the card case 11 is expanded and contracted.

The present device also can be used on many other articles in addition to those shown and described herein, including many articles in the plastic, cloth and leather goods fields. The present structure provides an expansible pass case and billfold of flat, smooth appearance, long wear life and inexpensive of manufacture. The present invention also provides a positively aligned, self-locating, twoapart male and female fastener arrangement in which the male member is merely snapped into the female member and the closure is self-adjusting depending on the bulkiness of the contents of the flaps.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

Means [for fastening two panels together comprising (A) two panels, the first panel having overlapping portions,

(B) a male snap member mounted on a flat base secured :between overlapping portions of the first of said panels, and

(C) a female snap member mounted on the second of said panels, said female snap member including (1) a one piece housing secured to said second panel, said housing being provided with an elongated slot and having a resilient track confined therein above the plane of the second panel, said track slidably receiving and retaining the male snap member,

(D) the male snap having an enlarged head connected to a necked-down portion, said head passing through the resilient track to retain the snap members in engaged position, and the necked-down portion being 3 slidably received therein and being provided with" 2,122,138 grooves to grip the resilient track. 2,610,323 2,980,975 References Cited by the Examiner 3,029,854

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Re. 9,029 1/1880 Acker 24202 1 039 005 66,413 7/1867 Talcott 24202 9,179 487,822 12/1892 Rutty 24-224 573 240 721,419 2/1903 Boyle 24202 10 2 5 9 1,029,204 6/1912 Luft 24203 2,084,455 6/1937 Reed 24206 6/1938 Hansen 24224 9/1952 Johnson 24217 4/1961 Jones 24217 4/1962 Burniski 150-39 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 1958 Germany. 6/ 1890 Great Britain. 6/ 1958 Italy. 10/ 1912 Switzerland.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner. 

